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90

GameZone

There is no stopping the wave of games that have been inspired by the now classic and innovative game called Grand Theft Auto 3. The PS2 has already seen these clones and, for the most part, gamers have enjoyed them for the very same reason they adored the GTA games . . . complete control over what you can do and when. True Crime: Streets of LA wants to offer something a bit different while still staying fairly familiar to those gamers that are fans of causing chaos in the streets. But is this game fun enough to be considered a worthy brother of the GTA games or just a poorly designed clone?

The biggest hurdle facing the Luxoflux developed True Crime: Streets of LA is its proximity in both premise and expectations to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto franchise. PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube owners are supposed to want it because, at a glance, it looks so much like the videogame phenom that has dominated the charts for two years, yet gamers are supposed to approach it with an open mind and take it for what it is. True Crime is an action game enabling you to drive around several hundred square miles of Los Angeles streets and seamless exit the car and interact with those same square miles of people, cars and criminals.

True Crime is the first game to come along and truly give the Grand Theft Auto series a run for its money. I’ll even go as far as to say that the sheer size and scope of this project simply dwarfs anything that Rockstar has delivered thus far. Not only does it boast an open-ended gameplay design set within the sprawling streets of Los Angeles, True Crime grants players the freedom to uphold the law as an virtuous cop, or go Bad Lieutenant and terrorize the city of angels.

In the past two years, the release of new Grand Theft Auto titles has created in PS2 owners a new Pavlovian response to seeing the leaves change color. But since Rockstar is too busy remaking The Running Man this year, Activision has stepped up to with a potential lust-inducer. Thankfully, despite many superficial similarities, there's more to True Crime than GTA emulation. For where GTA was a grand crime simulation, here we have the opposite, a law enforcement model that tries to link your behavior to the game's outcome. It's not as polished as the competition, but True Crime: Streets of LA adds enough to smart, free-roaming gameplay that it's definitely worth a look. You're Nick Kang, the son of a famed LAPD officer, recruited to the elite EOD, which has jurisdiction over the entire city of LA.

While it does not have the freedom of GTA, True Crime is an engaging and exciting city-based rampage. It lacks a little polish in places but overall the impression is of a very well crafted game. Nick Kang is annoying, but there's enough freedom and action on offer here to keep most gamers very happy. Some annoying dialogue, the varying difficulty level and an underused city mean the game is only good, rather than brilliant.

We all know that the streets of L.A. are tough. From riots to gang warfare to high-speed freeway chases, the media portrays Los Angeles as a city of chaos, where the scumbags outnumber the good samaritans about 10 to 1. And of course, the LAPD is nowhere to be found. Probably off eating at a doughnut shop or beating someone up.

True Crime makes decent attempts at different styles of gameplay, but none of them are particularly well done, and the game's storyline doesn't tie them together in a satisfying way. As video games become more and more complex and realistic-looking, game developers are starting to look toward other mediums for inspiration. No longer is game creation as simple as inventing a character, creating a world, and plotting out a mess of sprites. With the increased power of today's consoles, game developers have to consider the best way to keep players immersed in a game's world--a process that touches everything from the gameplay to the graphics to the soundtrack.

This game is a very high quality game, and deserves a lot of praise for taking on the king of mature games, and not only standing its ground, but also make a completely different playing experience. The game is great, and I for one hope they continue the series, probably with a different town and a different character (but keeping CHRISTOPHER FUCKING WALKIN), because it really set the ground for a fantastic future. The game is definitely worth a rent, at the very least.

With the next Grand Theft Auto title still a year away and the coast clear on the Getaway expansion pack front, there's a definite gap for a city-based action title this Christmas, and it's hardly surprising to see Activision and Luxoflux stepping up to try and fill the void - someone was bound to. But although comparisons with GTA III and its multi-million-selling sequel are inevitable, True Crime actually does a good job of setting out its own stall, with more of an emphasis on hand-to-hand combat, gun-slinging car chases, a Getaway-style narrative, and almost RPG-like progression as stereotypical LA cop Nick Kang steps off suspension and finds himself fighting to wrestle the City of Angels out of the hands of high-rolling crooks, accumulating new tools, tactics and grapple holds along the way.

A rogue cop takes on Chinese Triad pencil-necks and hairy-backed Russian Mafiosos in Activision?s overhyped cash-in on the Grand Theft Auto phenomenon. As Nick Kang, a cop with a Godzilla-sized bug up his ass and an arsenal of embarrassingly bad one-liners, you've gotta topple a money-counterfeiting operation using a combination of driving, gunplay, and fighting in missions ranging from discotheque shootouts and shower-room brawls to tailing crooked cops and dodging snipers.

True Crime is good for the most part and has a great concept. The drawbacks were that the game could get boring easily (and quickly) and glitches such as you being unable to catch a suspect because the game thinks that they are still in a car, even after they get out. There is some replay value in True Crime, other than unlocking the secret character, Snoop Dog and playing through to see the other endings. The mini missions that you can get on your police band radio also adds some interest to the game, seeing how they can often be pretty amusing.

Overall, True Crime is a fun romp around LA; fans of GTA and Driver might like it. It is a sham really, since this could have been a game that blew GTA and Driver so far out of the water that they were reaching orbit, but the storyline and gameplay just feel rushed and totally wastes the excellent systems that are in place, and that is a true crime.